Top 20 Saddest How I Met Your Mother Moments

[@JasonThomasLionHeart]

Barney's outbreak at his father "Then why couldn't you have been that dad to me," is peak emotional devastation. Marshall's dad's death never ceases to break my heart. Marshall choking back tears and saying "I'm not ready for this" gets me every time. That episode was HIMYM's finest hour. The saddest moments were what made this sitcom great, real and raw

[@stevendchu]

Season 6 was really where the tone of the show shifted and they made Barney grow up. Even early in the season when Barney's brother James finds his real father, there's a touching yet bittersweet moment where Barney appreciates how hard it was for his mom to raise them on her own and what an awesome job she did.

[@BrandonH321]

Neil Patrick Harris's performance in that basketball hoop scene convinces me that NPH has father issues, that performance was so good.

[@sparserrd]

@@BrandonH321 its outstanding, even just hearing the tone of voice switching while breaking down at his dad, it almost sounds like hes about to start crying. and i think thats what gets me

[@klarameurk8077]

Marshall's "I was expecting bad news, I really was" before hearing about his dad will never fail to break my heart

[@ravenatog]

Jason Segel didn't know the twist until they actually filmed the scene, he thought Lily was going to tell him she's pregnant, so his reaction was very real and off the cuff.

[@andrewstanford4071]

@@ravenatogand he decided to say the same thing he would have said anyway, “I’m not ready for this”

[@masterslayerable]

Scene works so well because Segel didnt know thats what lily was gonna tell him

[@henri191]

"Look around , Ted , you're all alone" this one hits hard 😢

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

He's not alone for long.

[@leonardolim8976]

What ep did Ted and Victoria got back together again? The last time I saw her was when she was in a wedding dress about to fling it with Ted but I don't remember them getting back together

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

@@leonardolim8976 I can't remember the ep, but it's in s7.

[@felixcote184]

Clearly the saddest moment in the whole show.

[@prathameshshetty341]

It hurts the most to the one who feels the same😅

[@albertmotbey1128]

Marshall's dad's death had me in tears. I called my dad right after just to chat ro him

[@leonardolim8976]

Normally when someone died in the series it's an excuse to execute it bc the actor died in real life. I'm glad bill fagerbakk didn't die bc that would also mean the end of his famouse role as Patrick star in spongebob

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

I haven’t seen HIMYM, but Marshall hearing about his dad’s passing through Lily made me think, _He needs a big hug!_ I’m not ready, either, Marshall.

[@Iggybart05]

it's a great show, until the final 2 episodes.

[@stargirl91291]

So random to watch this video if you’ve never seen the show 😆

[@Fleepwn]

@@Iggybart05 SPOILER: Literally. Last time I watched it, I just skipped the last 2 episodes except the scene where Ted meets Tracy. And then watched Barney with his kid on KZbin. Probably the only time I've watched the show so far that the ending didn't leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

[@trinaq]

Even though we know that Lily eventually comes back to Marshall, it's still heartbreaking to see him sitting out in the rain, clutching the engagement ring, especially just after Ted and Robin finally got together. 💔Jason Segal excels at looking like a kicked puppy.

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Marshall is Lily's consolation prize.

[@dhruvkasthuri6401]

I think 'kicked puppy' is wrong since that trivialises his pain. I would just say he excels at conveying genuine soul crushing grief to the audience. Also hello again

[@RemyJackson]

Gotta love Barney "One day someone rlse will see what a great guy he is, and I can't keep stealing girls from him forever" While we don't see Barney start stealing girls from Marshall until Lily is already back in New York, it just shows Barney was already planning to do. I also love Marshall and Lily's response to seeing Ted in the bar the morning after Barney and Robin's wedding. Lamenting how hard it will be to not see him, then see him sitting there, and they are just like "Are you kidding me?"

[@Lordoftheapes79]

Knowing what it's counting down to, you can't unsee those numbers in a rewatch and each one twists the knife a little bit more.

[@Fleepwn]

I learned about the countdown recently and have been rewatching the show and saw the episode yesterday and noticed the big red 49 at the beginning and immediately thought "Oh fudge, I'm not ready for this"

[@DaniloOliveira36]

About Lily, there is another sad Episode. "The ashtray". About the Captain. When Marshall confronts her why she was so mad when he says she is just a kindergarden teacher, and she responds emotionally "Because he was right. I'm just a kindergarden teacher".

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

She'd rather be an artist, but is nowhere near good enough to do that professionally.

[@mishaknyazev2799]

I actualy dated a girl who lost her boyfriend and now waching the scene with Tracy talking to Max hits so hard, but even such a good acting can't show all the pain of this situation

[@williammone8533]

“Look around Ted you’re all alone” get so much more relatable as I’ve gotten older :(

[@fjosok6359]

The "best" part about Marshall's dad passing away is the Hidden countdown that plays throughout the episode. There is a visible countdown from 50 down too the Cab being 1 (001) and that's when he hears the news. It's real subtle and gut wrenching when you know it, and see it creeping up. I recommend anyone too find the video, episode or summary online and just watch. The style of narrative foreshadowing is ridiculous!

[@nehemiahfualaau]

Foreshadowing is my favorite thing in storytelling. It’s such a subtle thing, but then once it all gets peace together, you go back and see how obvious it was.

[@ShowLover3000]

OMGG I cried at literally every scene on this list 🥺

[@Michael-dy2lb]

When Marshall learns of his father's death, that was harsh and the acting was superb. But the one that ripped my heart out was when Tracy tells Ted that no mother is going to miss her daughter's wedding, and Ted begins breaking down, realizing that Tracy isn't going to be there for their daughter's wedding. I didn't watch the show in order so that was how I found out that Tracy was gone and Ted was narrating the entire series to his kids as a widower.

[@Harleigh_19]

As a lifelong fan of Alyson Hannigan since Buffy premiered ANYTIME she’s sad on screen it rips my heart out 😭💔. Lily breaking up with Marshal ruined me…

[@ashw7448]

The moment where Ted comes back to find Marshall on the steps with Lily's ring is always the most heart-breaking thing for me

[@dannies1117]

I love this show so much, my favorite of all time

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Why has it never been as popular as Friends?

[@Xerebec.13]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu its close...but HIMYM botched the ending so bad....

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

@@Xerebec.13 Yes, s9 is very disappointing.

[@F4keFelipx]

I know the Look Around, Ted, you’re all alone scene is sad especially because i felt like that before but if you look at the bright side. Ted’s life looks up from there and gets better and he isn’t alone and that keeps me going 😭🙏🏾

[@Laimonas56]

It really did , I whach this wehen i feel lonllyest ,and it relates

[@tricuspa]

Awesome take, down memory lane. I remember when I had streaming services just to watch this series in its entirety getting through one or two episodes a days, and wow heart string between those loves and laughs really made such a wonderful series.

[@abdulazizhawsah9884]

Yes and the original ending was great. I don't know why would they create an alternative ending

[@Penaloozza]

I'm 27 and I first watched this series more than 10 years ago when I didn't even know English. But every time I rewatch these moments it always hurts the same, even if I haven't lived half of them personally. Best comedy series to grow up with

[@donteto]

You'll live through a couple of them. In a couple of years I'll be approaching my Clooney years, so I always come back to these series whenever I live through one of the "big ones".

[@evanstallard1515]

“How many of us have imagined happiness for ourselves but not pursued it or self-sabotaged for one reason or another?” that’s my whole damn life!

[@samuelcollantes1175]

Good advice, Phoebe, i won't forget it. Have a happy sunday afternoon and God bless you, and greetings from Colombia to you as well.

[@keatoncrandall2471]

When Barney repeats his vow to Robin to his daughter, knowing how it ends... That is sad.

[@dylanjamieson4300]

"If you were going to be some lame suburban Dad, then why couldn't you have been that for me" 😭😭

[@josephsale3019]

Why does watching the clips of HIMYM so damn good when you are in the process of healing. Lots of lessons and realizations. So sad this show is now not available in Netflix. I want to watch it again

[@chibichump]

No joke, I would watch HIMYM during my lunch break because the show USUALLY helped me get prepped for the rest of my shift. The day I watched No. 1, my co-workers were caught off guard because I walked out a mess XD I didn't know!!!

[@BerserkCD]

Jason wasn't even told that Lilly was going to say thay, so his reaction is completely improvised. NAILED IT!

[@cambridgeewing2433]

There’s a scene in the episode where they steal the lion head from the Arcadian and Marshall’s boss is going through his divorce and lost his dog tugboat. The entire episode he’s being used as comedy but at the end of the episode when the gang finds Arthur, he’s yelling at a new dog saying that “he’s not tugboat and he’ll never be tugboat” and then breaks down. I remember watching that episode after my family/brother got a new cat after I left for school. We had lost our old cat who had been with us since before I was born. I guess I hadn’t really grieved and i really had a hard time seeing the new cat and had a lot of resentment and keep saying that our old cat was the bestest) That moment seeing someone who tries to move on with a new pet and seeing the breakdown of missing their baby. That is one of the saddest moments in the show for me.

[@Sunnylounger]

I still think the one with Tick tick tick is the saddest, only Marshall's father dying can compare with it.

[@abdulazizhawsah9884]

Ted and Robin ending was better than the alternative.

[@George-px6xe]

When Victoria tells Ted to close his eyes and sneaks away to you don't know me

[@Rahula_kumar__]

That" look around ted scene , you are all alone really hit hard and also that scene where they leave that old place and that empty house where robin and lily talk..."

[@LaDomiiT.O]

I love the ending of HIMYM I love that both Ted and Tracy ended up with someone they had unfinished business with 💖 even tho while they were together they loved each other

[@XvaleckX]

Being a dad now marshals dad dying kills me even more. Show has a different feel no matter what age you are.

[@wyattsmith6694]

Actually Tracy’s death isn’t a sad moment because that never happened. That was a weird, inexplicable moment where we, as a society, just all had the same bad dream that Carter Bays and Craig Thomas forgot how to write a sitcom, nothing more. It never happened

[@RemyJackson]

The reason Barney and Robin's divorce feels "forced" was because it set Robin's character development back about 4 seasons. She makes it clear to Ted in the first episode that her career was her priority over romance, and marriage was not something she saw in her future. But we see her overcome both of those hangups before the series ended. She turned down a job offer for Donald (although it comes back to bite her when he gets offered the job) and ahd accepts getting married. For her job to be the reason dhe and Barney divorce just undoes much of her character's development over the last several seasons

[@Islagertzen]

I'm just a teenager, but my parents showed me this series, and I loved it!

[@EllaTipton-q1p]

the saddest moment for me, is when ted finishes his story and his kids say “its been 6 years dad.”

[@bungoutarou]

I was kinda disappointed at the ending at first but the more I rewatch it, the more it makes sense. I read it somewhere that after Tracy gone, Ted met Robin and there Robin asked Ted if they still have their "if we both still single at 40 deal" but Ted said that he couldn't anymore so actually it took time, maybe years, for Ted to moved on from Tracy's death but the show cut that scene, left us unclosure. Besides, the ending stays true to the title so in my opinion it's neat.

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

What were the writers thinking when they wrote s9?!

[@chemicalE-p3n]

Sorry, but I loved s9.

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

@nyamah What do you love about it?

[@chemicalE-p3n]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu I loved how it tugged at my heart, and I loved how it encapsulated that life is not happy endings, it's full of bittersweet ones.

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

@@chemicalE-p3n You're happy with how HIMYM ended & how its characters ended up? How about the boring episodes that merely fill time?

[@chemicalE-p3n]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu yeah, I didn't find them boring, honestly. I practically cried all through s9.

[@kevincaceres5550]

I was looking for the moment when Ted finally let Robin go before her wedding, and the balloon metaphor

[@pjmonaghan8944]

Damn this list hurts a lot but when Marvin passed away it hurt so much cuz my dad also away 😢

[@gabrielsemipro]

I was shocked on how this series would make me laugh only to make me cry too. I was in a very tough spot, and my friend recommended this to me, and count believe this sitcom wasnt just a montage of funny stuff but actually... something more. Loved this show, and thank you my guy for introducing me to it, even if we are not what we once were.

[@Fleepwn]

I cry a lot whenever I watch this show but I cannot even begin to emphasise just how badly I break down when I realise Marshall's dad's death is coming and how badly I break down again when he says "I'm gonna call my dad" and then break down all over again when he says "I'm not ready for this". I just can't, there are a lot of really sad moments, especially in the latter seasons, but this one is something else...

[@samreenabbasi2504]

Despite tracy's death and barney getting mad at his dad was one of the saddest moments, im glad marshall's dad's death was number one here. It was such a sudden thing, and it was a moment when you realize tha it could happen to you too, it just breaks you like crazy.

[@justcatu9107]

seeing the top it just started accumulating that sadness but the words from the final voicemail from marshal's dad really broke me, the thing of an I love you as the final words from a parent to a child really is something special and it will always touch me, we are never ready for death.

[@BasvB91]

Marshall's "I'm not ready for this." always gets me 😢😭

[@julieblanch6121]

# 3 crushes my heart. What an episode!!!

[@cannonfodder15]

This show is the perfect combo of comedy and emotion. That’s why it’s the greatest sitcom ever (in my opinion)

[@tmoore4075]

The last one Jason didn't know what the news was going to be in the scene. Alyson told him the word to react to was "it." Amazing acting by both of them.

[@thmills26]

No one talks about how if you notice the numbers in bad news counting down it build tension for something good to happen and then rips it all away when it reaches 1

[@kingramu899]

45 days is arguably the most saddest moment in this series for me, that I believe is the lowest and most alone ted been, everyone moved on but ted 😢

[@deanyeomans2505]

Ted and Robin never directly ending up together still breaks my heart.

[@KingChiggy]

Watching Barney's face in the background when you hear Marshal's dad say "I love you buddy" on the voicemail is so heartbreaking. It's like watching a kid watch his best friend get the biggest bowl of ice cream while he's sitting outside.

[@Willlovespeanutbutter]

the Marvin sr episode and that call always make me well up with tears

[@justin_g6187]

I legit ugly cried by the end of the video. Then i got hit with the "stop being sad and be awesome instead" and my emotions just cleared away. Now im just awesome. Its like my brain was like "wait....he has a point""

[@divaykey]

18th is the 3rd for me after look around and marshalls dad. It really hits me hard from my heart

[@pratitithakur174]

The last two episodes just don't exist for me.

[@JSulikowska]

Yes

[@chemicalE-p3n]

Denial. Hehe.

[@abdulazizhawsah9884]

Ted and Robin should've ended up together It was the best ending everl

[@roostermcscratch9060]

Your loss

[@pratitithakur174]

@@roostermcscratch9060 No I got the alternate ending in return, which is 100000 times better, so that's a gain. But again, it is totally based on your opinions, I would've accepted the ending if Ted and Robin didn't get back together, like bro had 2 whole different scenes/episodes of him letting her go (the one where she said she doesn't love him, and he got out and saw many yellow umbrellas/options, and the one where Robin "flies away" from him), and all this happened for them to end up together. Like bro didn't get over after YEARS, and it can also mean that there was some part of him which wanted Robin even when Tracy was alive, and they were together.

[@edwardvalentino3835]

Never watched this show because i despise NPH. Can't tell you why it's just one of those things. Then I binged the entire series over a period of 5 days. That La Vie En Rose scene absolutely broke me

[@douglasdbs7139]

That is so interesting to read... In 2005 when I started watching HIMYM I didn't even know the actors, HIMYM was just the new "friends". Who they were was never an issue. I think I only knew Lilly from American Pie. Maybe I only learned their names by 2010 or something, many years later. It is mind blowing that knowing who one of the actors was the thing that was holding you back all these years. I mean, how one thing can be so important for one person (the fact that NPH plays it) and virtually non-existent to another. Maybe that is one of the things that the show makes we think about after all, right? I am glad that you managed to go through the entire series. ❤

[@ianndungu800]

The songs playing in the background of these scenes played a part too

[@Iggybart05]

"that was X years ago" only works if you don't make a contradictory statement right before it. i'm not saying marshall was right about taking the judgeship, but he was damn right for bringing that up when she said she had never been that selfish in her life. you can't claim the moral high ground if you've done as bad or worse to the person you're calling horrible, no matter how long ago.

[@rooney3490]

And one , Lilly took the SF painting fellowship she didn't inform Marshall she just went ahead and did it without hearing what he had to say first , then left him , came back after it went South and all throughout the series Marshall did make some huge sacrifices for Lilly, for example he took a job he didn't want to after finding out about Lilly's credit card problems which she didn't even wanna tell him about while on the other hand he always mostly supported Lilly , so practically though it was an impulse decision for him to take the job it was as well wrong not to tell Lilly about it

[@matthewleonello9901]

The last episode was the most heartbreaking episode

[@rnw_kidlvl]

17:00 I find Marshall's delivery when he said, "My Dad's dead?", to be so much more heart breaking. It almost felt like Jason Segel actually lost his dad ☹️

[@matpul8213]

Expecting barney scene with his daughter to be the first one but its not in the list, that is the only scene where i cried hard in this series. what barney faced in the last two episodes will hit me hard and kinda unacceptable since he is my fav character in the series😢his daughter literally heal him at the end and im kinda glad for it! tq HIMYM!

[@thraungaming824]

Number 1: the fact that the show ended :/ Such a good show

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Except for disappointing s9.

[@markusherrmann7123]

6:16 this is heartbreaking 😢

[@ianfrederickson1327]

When Barney tells his mom she was a great father hurt me

[@victorroyano7131]

When Lily scapes in the fierro to San Francisco and tells Ted all the Make the mistake thing 😢

[@DOGSFORFOOD]

Kudos to Victoria for putting the boundary before marriage so she didn't end up living with and marrying an asshole

[@kittycatsy]

Agreed

[@Duffy422]

Bro I’m 12 and I’ve watched it 6 times

[@RyanMcKennaGosling]

While the 3rd saddest moment on this list is my favourite, the 12th moment from the season 7 episode "No Preasure" is how the ending scene was SO perfect (even for that song choice at the end), it might've work as a series finale even it went downhill after that episode. Even tho Season 8 is great but Season 9 really killed the entire series completely (especially the ending).

[@keatoncrandall2471]

This Modern Love is my favorite song of the series.

[@mesterg6896]

The one where robin and her children is properbly the episode i cried the most to. Its kinda wild that the comedic aged 2000s sitcom of himym is the TV series i have cried the most to when there are sad dramas that havent made me shed a single tear

[@pocketinfinity6733]

3:36 you divorced, thats not your concern anymore smh

[@90sLifestyle.]

When Barney and Ted weren't talking, Lily called him to let him know Ted had gotten into a car accident. So he spent the whole episode trying to get to him, but when he got to the hospital, he got hit by a bus. Barney and Ted apologized to each other and called each other brothers.

[@rosworms]

The San Francisco thing always bugged me because Lily is always painted as the bad guy, but Marshall is the one who gave her an ultimatum. He told her they had to break up if she chose to do the internship... A summer internship. HE made her choose instead of just being long distance for a little while.

[@Howesitgoing1]

So doing the ultimatum was not good I’ll agree on that but that’s not the entire ultimatum. In the fight he said ‘promise me that you won’t just break up with me in 3 months because I’d rather get it over with now’. (Not direct quote) He initially wasn’t even mad at her for going it was her 1) Not telling him she was even thinking this. 2) Switching from I wasn’t going to do it to I have to do it. And 3) Not promising she would even come back to love him. I don’t think it’s her decisions that made her the bad guy but the way she made them were. Also, not saying Marshall was perfect but he was afraid he was just gonna get heartbroken afterwards so might as well rip the bandaid off.

[@GerardoHernandezjr]

Marshall’s dads death is the saddest moment in the entire series

[@Adj4ni]

No joke, "45 days" changed my life.

[@asl2g4u]

I love everything about this show except for how it ended 🤬

[@abdulazizhawsah9884]

The ending was satisfying.

[@brownie62]

Thanks, I’m crying now

[@seanharnage4589]

While I agree with this list, the fact that Barney yelling at his dad and Marshall and Lily's break up were not top 5 was WILD!

[@hayleydouglas]

I hated the way Ted treated Barney at times, he was so vile and stuck up

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

Marshall is very prudish & judgmental to Barney.

[@hayleydouglas]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu oh yeah he was, I forgot about that

[@RobertTaylor-gz2fu]

@@hayleydouglas Yet Ted & Marshall are often described as nice guys.

[@hayleydouglas]

@@RobertTaylor-gz2fu yeah turns out Ted ain't so nice after all - he's stuck up and pretentious

[@abdulazizhawsah9884]

​@@hayleydouglas How come?? Ted is nice.

[@VanessaSamuels-v5x]

It’s almost like Himym was more sad than funny sometimes

[@Silette-2011]

These are all sad but damn #1 is just brutal.

[@dm0sky]

why de f am i watching that at 6am before i go to work?

[@stevenpage8571]

Shocked that the fathers voicemail scene wasn’t top 3

[@atlasprime6193]

Another fun fact about #1: The lead up to the news that his dad died was sort-of foreshadowed by the aesthetics of the set. Each scenes would have a number presented somewhere that is missable, but becomes extremely clear once you’d seen it and can no longer unseen it. Then throughout the episode, it counted down until 1, and ended with Lily telling Marshall the sad news.

[@MsMojo]

Which moment from the list hit you the hardest emotionally, and why?

[@lostplace]

So many, if not all of them, but Barney towards his dad and Marshall finding out about his dad's death are both very real

[@stevendchu]

4 of these moments all come in the series finale. I think that's what a lot of people (like myself) hate the most about the ending. They really shouldn't have packed in so much into the final hour without letting some of these big reveals and developments breathe. Would've been SO much better if half the season was the wedding, then the other half flashforwards until the mom dies and after, showing Ted trying to move on and then finally doing so with his kids' blessing.

[@abdulazizhawsah9884]

Ted was too nice to Barney. He shouldn't forgive him that easy.

[@TSRexy]

I always crywhen Marshall's dad die😢😢

[@debbieakadely1212]

unpopular opinion but Victoria and ted were perfect for each other. they were initially equally yoked, but ted's obsession with robin ruined it

[@swakage13x]

Honestly the whole thing about the mother passing Literally right after we meet her still upsets me even after all these years Like I get the creators wanted to hurt us the fans In a way Even worse than killing off the possibility of Joey and Phoebe getting together. Like they could have at least given us 2 seasons of her Before the finale When we see her in that hospital bed I would have loved to see her become friends with Robin and Lily Laughing at 1 of Marshall's dumb jokes Getting drunk and checking out hot girls with Barney Maybe having a little argument that splits them up and they get back together because they realize They love each other more than a stupid argument Because seriously there's about an hour worth of footage between Ted and Tracy She deserved way better from the creators And Ted deserve more time with her, I hope in like 15 years When they remake the show They take that kind of thing into account

[@spencerstraub2473]

What a show!

[@DarkEater77]

For the first, i'd like to add an argument: We see a sneak Time Counter over the episode, at 1(Showed on the Taxi), Lily appears to tell him...

[@danielhowarth6583]

The ongoing debate of who was Ted's best friend is settled in that moment (number 13) it was Lily

[@Jaimyyy89]

We all knew our #1 💔💔

[@kittycatsy]

Man, how many heartbreak Robin gives the dudes in the gang lol

[@chloegott6647]

When Barney meets his daughter for first should be here somewhere

[@waittillfamewtf2385]

"Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch"

[@laerramarie2620]

8:10 But that's not really selfish? How is breaking up with someone selfish? Selfish would be to relocate his whole life and drag him with her. Also, they didn't have kids back then.

[@bubicone]

“I have never been this selfish” followed by “why are you bringing up san francisco” yeah I really hate lilly…